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Chamonix Snow Report: 25th March 2015

Spring conditions at Le Tour

featured in Snow report Author Alison Shayler, Chamonix Reporter Updated

I had just a few hours this afternoon to squeeze in a quick ski and no idea where to head, so I just wandered down to the bus stop and hopped on the first one that pulled up. It was the #01, which conveniently runs the whole length of the valley so I had the choice of Flegere, Les Grands Montets or Le Tour.

I’d only been up GM just a few days ago and given the warm weather we’ve had lately, I was curious to see how Le Tour is faring. The answer is: surprisingly well! Considering I didn’t get on the slopes until way past midday the snow was nicely softened but not slushy at all, there was great coverage on all pistes and even some light fresh snow off the sides. Obviously there is no powder to be had and if you’re going off-piste then you’ll need to dodge a few rocks and tree stumps but on-piste was a dream. Even more so due to it being almost completely empty.

The Les Esserts run over the back was the “piste du jour”; firm and smooth with just a couple of centimetres of soft snow on top and perfect cover all the way down. I imagine that earlier in the day it would have been bulletproof but by mid afternoon it had softened just enough to make it super-grippy whilst still being hard enough to go straight and fast. It was so good that I lapped it a few times and only once did I see another person on it.

Spring has many joys but one of the biggest is the lack of people. I’m not agoraphobic or anything but the following things make me very happy:

  • Getting a seat on the bus without risking loss of an eyeball on the end of someone’s ski pole
  • Being able to fuss and faff with my boots and backpack on the gondola without annoying everyone around me
  • Not getting pushed into or even having to wait for a chairlift
  • Swooping down an empty piste without a care in the world and being able to make motorbike noises as you lean deep into the bends (I’m sure I’m not the only one who does that when there’s no one else around to hear)

Everyone else was basking in the sun on the front side, which meant that the pistes over there were definitely a fair bit softer but they were still good fun. Nowhere near as chopped up and heavy as I had expected and, again, very well covered.

The restaurants must have been doing a roaring trade this week as every one of them had a full terrace; Le Tour is my favourite place in the valley on a sunny day, the views are spectacular and best enjoyed from the depths of a deckchair with a beer in hand. Although the Chalet de Charamillon at the top of the gondola has the biggest sun terrace I much prefer the friendly vibes of the two smaller places underneath the Autannes chairlift and the Possettes draglift. There are a couple of good places down in Vallorcine as well but you have to get the gondola down to them, as the home run is closed at the moment due to poor snow cover - it’s always the first run to suffer but a couple of good dumps might revive it for a bit longer.

My final run of the day was the home run down to Le Tour on the Les Caisets piste - being right on the front side and getting the most traffic it was as heavy and chopped up as expected but still great fun, a bit like skiing on mashed potato.

There was talk on the bus home of snow being forecast for tonight and the clouds do indeed seem to be gathering but, as always this winter, it’s a case of wait and see.

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Meanwhile up at Brevent today, the girls from Seven Twenty have got this report.